The South western news., 1887-11-23
THE BAR ROOM
As a Social Resort.
BY G. A. LOFTEN, D. d.

''O puI room as q S0cidt resort.
lime and space are hrief but q
word may suffice. l know of no
association so rotten, foul and fl.
thy. Hell itself c,nnot gather a
worse crowd than the bar room
oarlng.t]e few respectable who
consort occasionally in these vile
lurking places Of dcviItry. Here
the bawd and libertine, the thief
and the gambler, the protane7' and
tn" vulgar-the wicked of every
character, assemble. Ordinarily,
the very atmosphere is contagious
with oaths and profanity and OBJ
scenity and scandal and SANDER
and lies and all manner of vile con-
versation. The wine-eup, the
gaming-table and the concourse Of
spirits congenial only in evil, fill
up the measure of debased gratif>
ton and of licentious enjoyment.
The bacchanalian song, the maud
lin laugh, the degrading jest, the
convulsive hiccough, the wrang>
ling brawl-this is the music of the
saloon; anG the crack of the pistol
the CLEAN of the dagger, the crash
of tumblers, the cry of murder, the
whistle of the police-this is often
the accompaniment. There is not
one good thing, at the very best,
in the evil communications Of the
bar room. Manhood and honor
blush to go there; and virtue and
plety never return untainted.
Holiness and righteousness never
assemble there to devise good and
work happiness; and there, Of all
other places, originate the schemes
and devices of iniquity. 1t is the
resort of the idle brain, the inAam-
ed heart, the restira spirit-the
appropriate gathering place OF the
blackguard and the black-ley, the
fuifian and the bully, tie thief and
the gambler. the law>5roaker end
the peace-disturber, the violent
and the an>slayer, Red noses,
fiery eyes, swollen cheeks, tremh-
ling limbs, staggering forms, deli
rious glances, mad lcnal faces
this makes up the dark background
Of the saloons awful picture; and
the clank OF the eObiets, the ring
of decanters. the glow of liquors,
the blaze of chandeliers, the clink
of lost dollars, the gurgling of drink
-lrink-drink-this makes IN
the foreground in the orgies Of the
horrible scene. No smile Of wo-
MN, no prattle of childhood, no
fire. side converse is there. Wife
and mother and sister and children
cannot go with you there. There
is a screen at the bar room entrance;
and the door of this aecursed hole
is the line nf separation between
bar room inter course and the limos
cent and pure relationships of good
society. The saloon is socially
outlawed; and how strange it is
hew inconslstent-that a man
should be caught, perpctually or
occasionally, where he would be
ashamed for his wife and children,
or the good of any class to see him
How fearful it is when man
reaches the point where he is not
ashamed to be seen in bar room !!
It argues either the low grade OF
society in the community where he
lives, or it proves that he is Tar
gone in vice and lost to all shame
of himself.
Now, what a place of social re-
sort is a bar room How a young
man shudders the first time he
stands before bar room counter
How conscience smites and pleads
AGAINST him! How guilty felt tie
how the first time he stole through
the back door, to peep into a oar
room! How sleepless his little
aching head as he rolled upon the
pillow that night How does an
! honorable and virtuOus man blush
as he sometimes yields to the soils
citation of less exemplary friend
to take an occasional drink in a
bar room! How must church
member feel who watches the cor
ners and slips into these sinks of
sin to drink and run from the
sight of the debauched mob that
mocks at his profession ! How
the devils laugh at him! How
thew console themselves in their
| :. H., fLaxy hTaCy nDO0